Resident Evil 2 - PlayStation 4

It's only January and Resident Evil 2 has already established itself as the game to beat for Game of The Year 2019. I cannot give this game enough praise for blowing me away with its playability, its graphics, its super likeable characters, atmospheric setting, etc. I never played the original (couldn't get past the tank controls) but I'm a huge fan of the series as a whole, so I've been anticipating this for quite some time. I am quite pleased to say that this game is fairly nearly flawless from beginning to end. I did find some aspects of this game extremely frustrating however, even after playing both campaigns twice.The most frustrating part of Resident Evil 2 is the bullet-sponge nature of the enemies. Bullet sponginess is all well in good in a game like Gears of War where ammo is in ample supply but in a game where conserving ammo is key it's ridiculous. There is a female zombie on the east 2nd level of the main hall that I shot with several rounds from the machine gun, sliced about four times across the face with a knife, shot another five times with my handgun before she finally went down only to have her get back up then I had to shoot her 6 more times with my handgun. Unacceptable. Not all zombies in the game are this difficult to put down, but it happens far to frequently and its frustrating. I've played through all the numbered RE games except for 3 and I've NEVER had to deal with this kind of ridiculous damage amount. It made the game less fun than it should've been. Oh and headshots? Why bother. I can score several consecutive headshots and it makes little difference in the end.Another gripe I have with RE 2 is the incredible difficulty spikes. I refuse to drop the difficulty down to assisted when I can more than handle the normal settings. That being said, when it comes to boss time, the bosses jump the difficulty about four fold. When I fought William Birkin's final form on my first playthrough I wanted to slam dunk my controller to the ground. This game has incredible pacing until you get to the bosses, than the frustration level just shoots through the roof.Speaking of bosses, here is where I give a criticism of the game and the RE Series as a whole. Not all of the games in the series are guilty of this, but the RE series LOVES to reuse the same d*mn bosses over and over and over and over and over and over again. Can't we have some variety? How many frickin' times do I have to kill William Birkin before the D-Bag finally stays dead? A little variety goes a long way.These frustrations aside, Resident Evil 2 is still an incredible game. I don't think anyone could argue the polish that has been given to this game. I'm envious of the players who grew up with the original as I can only imagine the nostalgia factor is through the roof. Every facet of this game just is polished to a fine sheen and it's just incredible. Not once did I run into any bugs and the game is not stuffed with microtransaction B.S. After playing through this and Resident Evil 7 I have never been more excited for the future of the series. This game is why I play videogames.

I played the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 back in their prime. They were great, tense games with fulfilling puzzles and a rewarding learning curve. But the reality is that those games have not aged well in either their visuals or controls.RE2 Remake takes the bold approach in creating a brand-new game that seeks to recapture the feel the original, rather than just update it with a fresh coat of paint. While this is normally a recipe for disaster, the developers have managed to succeed in a way that only true fans of the original could have. They have done the impossible: make shambling zombies threatening again.I have two nitpicks with the game, with the first being just how short it is. This of course will vary greatly from person to person, but for me clocked in at about 5 hours for my first run. And while there is the "second run" and other modes and characters to play as, a lot of this is just retreading the same content over and over, and it doesn't excuse a shorter main story. At least not with a 60$ price tag.My second nitpick is how few weapons are available in each run. Leon and Claire both get 5-6 different weapons, which is nice, but those weapons are exclusive to the characters. Leon never gets the SMG or grenade launcher, and Claire never gets the shotgun or flamethrower. And while this does add some distinction to each character's playthrough, and is true to the original, it also really limits each playthrough when compared to RE4 where you could pick your loadout from a large selection of weapons (and upgrades too). I think the limited inventory space plus the new gunpowder mechanic BEGS for an abundance of weapons to really test the player's management.Overall, the game is great and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre, even if you are new to the series.

The original RE 2 was a thing back in 98 when it came out and now this one is too! The gameplay has a rewarding experience and a platinum to be proud of if you can handle it! It’s been a long time coming for this title, which is outstanding and a masterpiece at its finest. It couldn’t have been a better remake, unless Mikami was part of the development, then maybe. Imagine if Mikami were to help with future titles. The possibilities are endless. I liked the additions to many parts of the game that weren’t in the original. I won’t discuss those to people who have not had the chance to play it yet. Enjoy, keep the room dark and your headset on! :-)If you have any anxiety or heart problems I would recommend playing with the lights on and volume on medium or a little lower. Stress and intensity play a huge role in this game.